Cosmetic Love
by RiverLaithe
Summary: AU. Kagome's family has put her into an arranged marriage. She decides to try her best to go through with it, but we all know that love and marriage don't always go together. See first AN for relationship info.


A/N: First off, I don't own any of the characters who are part of the Inuyasha series.

Second, I know that right now, you only see Kagome and Miroku. However, this story does become Inu/Kag, but it's at least four or five chapters away, the way things go in my head. For now, yes, it's Mir/Kag. But it doesn't stay that way forever, I promise.

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"I know it's strange, dear, but it was more common in our day. And with such an opportunity at hand for all of us..."

How could they really expect me to marry someone I hadn't seen since we were kids? I couldn't even remember what Miroku looked like!

"Please, will you just meet him?" I could only stare at my mother in disbelief.

"I'm only nineteen! I just started university!" She looked at me with pleading eyes.

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but you might love him, Kagome. I love your father, and we were in the same situation." I shook my head, fighting tears. We sat there in silence for a few minutes before I got up and started for the stairs. "Tonight at seven, Kagome! Please!"

My parents want me to marry the son of my dad's boss. The two had gone to university together and been great friends, but in the end, my father never had the drive to go as far as his best friend. When his friend got promoted, it was decided that I and their son, Miroku, would get married to keep good relations. The business that was now owned by my father's best friend would then belong to both of them, just like they'd dreamed of.

But my father and his best friend drifted apart, though they worked in the same building every day. Now, the business was starting to fail, along with his friend's fortune. On the other hand, my dad had always been great with investing money, so we're living as well as his old buddy, but without all of the debt. Rather than bringing my dad into the business owning...business, the arranged marriage would save the business and his friend from ruin.

I flipped through an old photo album from when I was a kid. There were tons of pictures of Miroku and I together, from when I was born a few months after he up until when we got our first school uniforms. That was when Miroku's dad had gotten promoted and our families started to drift apart. I had to admit, we were pretty cute together as kids.

I just had to meet him, right? Maybe we would hit it off. Maybe we could pretend that it wasn't an arranged marriage. Maybe.

When I came downstairs dressed to go out to eat with Miroku's family, my mom looked like she was going to cry. She took my hand.

"Thanks, honey. Thank you." My dad just nodded gruffly.

Miroku's family was treating us to a nice dinner for the occasion. When we got to the restaurant, we were told his family was already there.

"Ok, Kagome, you stay here. Your father will present you in a moment. Alright?" I nodded. My stomach was a storm of butterflies. Miroku had been going to all of the best schools in the district since grammar school. He was always talked about, even at my school, for placing high on exams. What reason was there for him to be interested in me?

But then, maybe he was complacent in this whole thing. Maybe he was determined to go with his parents wishes, or at least try.

But I could tell from the moment I walked into the private dining room that he wasn't interested.

"My daughter, Kagome," my father was saying. "Please treat her graciously." I bowed my head like I was expected to, but Miroku wasn't even paying attention. He was looking off to the side, showing every bit of annoyance and being there as I was trying not to feel. Aside from the small ponytail I spotted, he looked very proper. Everything you might expect from one of the top students in the country. And pretty handsome, to boot. If I could get him interested, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"Kagome, you're as beautiful as I remember you!" Miroku's mom embraced me, and then stood back, observing me. "You've grown into a fine young lady. Hasn't she, Miroku?" She turned to her son, who nodded, still not looking.

As we ate, the parents got along famously. You never would have guessed their situation, that they had drifted because of money, and that now the roles were reversed. I sat their awkwardly, trying to take my time with my food. Whenever attention was turned to me, I feigned that I had just taken a bite. By the time I had 'swallowed' my food, I had been forgotten. I did my best to observe Miroku out of the corner of my eye. He barely ate. He didn't look dejected, just...bored.

"Well," began Miroku's father as our desert dishes were taken away, "let's us parents go to the bar for a drink. Let the children reconnect, yes?" My mother gave me a hopeful smile as she left the room. I tried to return it positively.

I'm not sure that I've ever felt quite as awkward as I did. The clock on the wall insisted we were only in there for a few minutes, but by the time Miroku spoke, I was pretty sure it had been a few days, at least.

"Look, Kagome, it's nothing against you, but this marriage isn't going to happen." Nothing against me, right. I should have known. "I have a girlfriend, and as soon as all of this is past, we're going to get married." He didn't even wait for me to say anything before he got up and left.

Why were there tears in my eyes? I didn't want to marry him! I didn't even know him! So why should his rejection bother me?

But it did, it hurt. He didn't even give it any time. I had to wonder if he even had a girlfriend, or if that were just an excuse to get out of an arranged marriage.

Tears were trickling down my face now, and I realized that our parents would be back soon, once they saw that Miroku had left me. I hurried to get a few tissues out of my purse and wiped my face while I concentrated on not crying anymore.

"Kagome?" I stuffed my make-up stained tissues back into my purse as my mom came in. "What happened? I thought you were going to try." Her voice wasn't accusing, more disappointed.

"I wanted to, Mom." Tears were still trying to come. I tried to figure out what I could say that wouldn't put Miroku under full blame. "But...you know, it was kind of quick, if his parents told him when you told me." My mom smiled a little and nodded.

"We'll give it a couple of days." I had a feeling that that wouldn't quite cut it.

I was leaving work three days later when I saw Miroku again. He was standing outside of the law firm where I was a receptionist. He put on a smile when he saw me.

"Miss Higuarashi, would you do me the pleasure of allowing me to treat you to coffee?" He bowed a little and held out his hand. "I believe we need to talk."

I didn't really have any choice but to accept, but that didn't stop me from being dubious.

"It seems that I have been...freed from previous obligations." We were at a small café obviously meant for couples. None of the tables had room for more than two people. "I find myself now able to pursue this arrangement, if your family will still have me after my words the other night."

So his girlfriend had dumped him? Or, maybe, had his parents forced him? Rumors held that his family was pretty badly off these days...

"So...you've changed your mind about me, then?" I took a bite of the little pastries he had gotten for us.

"You have to understand, Miss Higurashi -"

"Please, Miroku. Drop the formal thing. You're not appealing to my family, you're appealing to me." He smiled and nodded.

"Kagome, I was in a very serious, long time relationship. I thought we were happy and were getting married. But...things happen." I sipped my smoothie and nodded, but didn't say anything. The past three days, all I had thought about was how I'd been rejected, basically on sight. Not that his opinion of me had really mattered. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I could be rejected and picked back up when it was convenient. But I wanted to give this a shot, for my family. My thoughts were interrupted when I realized he was down on one knee. He took my hand.

"I know I've probably insulted you pretty badly, but I was a fool in love. I don't deserve a second chance, Kagome, but please..." He seemed sincere enough. But he was rebounding, right? It was bad enough to only be accepted because of an arranged marriage, but to have to be a rebound on top of that? But I had decided three days ago that I would go through with this.

"Fine, I don't want to give my family a bad name by not trying."

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A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review, thanks! Update probably within a few days.


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